Moisture-proof switch-casing.



No. 729,304. 'PATENTED MAY 26,1903.

E. L. ETHERIDGE. MOISTURE PROOF SWITCH CASING.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 13, 1900.

Witn 6SSS.

UNITED STATES Patented May 26, 1903.

' PATENT OFFICE.

ERNEST L. ETHERIDGE, OF BROOKLYN, YORK, ASSIGNOR TO GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

MOISTURE-PROOF SWITCH-CASING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 729,304, dated May 26, 1903.

Application filed November 13, 1900. Serial No. 36,366 No model.)

is done in iron pipes to prevent it from damp-- ness. It is of especial advantage in marine work, where the conductors and switches must be carefully and thoroughly guarded against access of steam, water, or moist air.

In putting up such installations it is fre-' quently necessary to locate the switches in places Where there is little room to work-as, for instance, where the pipe runs close to a bulkhead or in a corner or between girders or pipes. It is especially desirable that the switch box or casing should be capable of being connected with the piping in such places with the greatest possible ease and in a thorough manner.

My invention aims to provide a switch which will fulfil these requirements.

The invention consists in a switch-casing which is short and compact and whose radial 0 dimensions in all directions are about the same, so that no part projects unduly. This enables it to be readily rotated on its axis to screw it into place between the ends of pipesections in the same way that a steam-pipe 5 coupling is screwed in. Its restricted shape enables this to be done even in very confined situations. Moreover, the casing is closed by a steam and watertight cap, so that no moisture of any kind can enter it, and the switch- 0 contacts are thus'entirely protected.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a longitudinal elevation, half in section, of my improved switchcasing. Fig. 2 is atop plan View. Fig. 3 is an end view, half in cross-section.

5 Fig. 4: shows the application of my switch to an incandescent-light fixture.

The casing has a preferably globular body A, with a low cylindrical boss a on one side and a tubular neck a at each end.

necks are screw-threaded to receive the ends of the pipes B, through which the wires are The run, so that the casing canbe simultaneously connected with both'pipes by rotatingit like a steam-pipe coupling. A transverse chamber is formed in the body A, preferably cy lind-rical and concentricwith the boss a and intersecting the passage-way through the tubular necks a. The boss a and the upper part of the chamber are internally screw= threaded to receive aoap O, covering the en- 6o tire top of the chamber and having a milled flange c. A gasket D is placed between said flange and the edge of the boss to make a tight joint. A stufling-box c is located centrally on the cap O, with a gland O to compress the packingE around the stem F of the switch.

Any desired type of switch can be used, as this forms no part of my invention. It is mounted upon a plate G, of suitable insulation, which rests upon shoulders a? at the bottom of the chamber in the body A, where it may be secured by "screws g. Under this plate the body is grooved out at a to permit one of the line-wires to pass through.

The operation of my invention is as follows: The switch proper is removed'from the body A by taking off the handle f, loosening the gland O, unscrewing the cap O, and slipping it off the stem F. The screws g are then removed, allowing the plate G and the attached switch to be lifted out of the chamber. The body A can then be readily connected with the adjacent ends of the pipes B, either by means of the screw-threads in the necks or by brazing or in any other way that may be most desirable. If it is screwed'into place, the compact shape of the body enables it to be rotated without-danger of striking any adjacent part of the structure. After the body 0 has been properly connected the plate G and the switch are inserted and fastened, the cap 0 screwed on, the gland O tightened, and the handlef replaced. The switch is thus completely inclosed and is secure against the 5 access of steam, water, and moisture of every kind.

In putting up a 1ight-fixture,such as is shown in Fig. 4, my switch is of especial advantage, because of its short length. The necks a can be cut off and the bodyAbrazed directly to the pipe and the fixture, thus saving from one to three inches of head-room, which is of considerable importance in marine work.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

A moisture-proof casing for an electric switch, consisting of a body having substantially uniform radial dimensions and containiugatransverse chamber with two shoulders in its lower side for the switch, a cap covering the entire top of the chamber, and means on the cap for packing the stem of the switch.

2. A moisture-proof casing for an electric switch, consisting of a body having substantially uniform radial dimensions and contain ing a transverse cylindrical chamber with two shoulders in its lower side, a capscrewed into the top of said chamber, and a stuifingbox on the cap.

3. The combination, with a body having substantially uniform radial dimensions and having tubular ends and containing a transverse chamber intersecting the passage-way through said ends, and forming shoulders at each side, said body having a low boss concentric with the upper end of the chamber, of a cap fitting into said boss, and a stuffing-box on the cap.

4. Amoisture-proofswitch-oasing havinga chambered body provided with screw-threaded ends and two shoulders in the lower side of the chamber, the radial dimensions of said body being all about the same, so that when said body is rotated in connecting it with adjacent piping, it will not be liable to strike against adjacent parts of the structure, and a cap for closing said chamber provided with a stuffing-box.

5. A moisture-proof switch-casing,comprising a body having substantially uniform radial dimensions and containing a transverse chamber having two shoulders in its lower side, a cap closing one end of said chamber, a plate of insulation fitting into said chamber and engaging said shoulders, and of less diameter than said cap, and a stuffing-box on said cap.

6. A moisture-proof switch-casing, comprising a body A having boss at, necks a, shoulders a and groove 0 the cap 0 having the flange c and the stuffing-box c, the gland C,

the gasket D and the packing E.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand. this 9th day of November, 1900.

ERNEST L. ETHERID GE. 

